Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister M Kayveas, in rejecting the suggestion to revive local council elections as a means to make these notorious councils accountable, outrageously claimed that this will prevent the 'politicisation' of council affairs, save cost and other hassles associated with conducting elections.

It seems the deputy minister's novel idea that there should be no 'politicisation' presumably does not include BN political parties' attempts to carve up councillor positions.

In fact Kayveas' PPP has been asking for such positions to no avail so far. Now, is not the vocal and fierce struggles put up by PPP to gain such positions also a 'politicisation' of council affairs!

Could it be that PPP dare not contest the positions through fair and free election but would rather go through the back door as it is shamelessly doing now?

Only the ruling parties of a state can be represented in local councils, and many of them shamelessly provide service in not so even-handed way in their own areas as compared to areas who voted opposition - no 'politicisation'?

Does Kayveas want the people to believe that once these political appointees are inside the councils they behave as apolitical technocrats and desist from bringing in their politics into council affairs ?

Kayveas called for the power to appoint council heads to be taken over from the state governments. Is there a power struggle going on between the state government and the federal minister? Is not depriving the local residents the right to choose their own council chiefs some form of political interference?

Council services often come with BN logos, especially during elections. Did BN pay for these services, eg tarring of roads? Who indeed are politicising council affairs? If BN is doing it, who ever gave them the right to monopolise council politics ?

If local council elections are considered money wasting, then how about state and parliamentary elections? Are they to be scrapped in favour of cost saving?

Is cost saving a higher national objective as compared to democratic representation and accountability? Are the costs of corruptions at all levels of local council less than holding elections?

Is the message of 'no politicisation' as mentioned above a measure of how consummate a politician Kayveas is, when he say he sees no politics in an essentially political institution otherwise known as local government?

<b>Ong BK<br>Malaysian Local Democracy Initiative (Malodi)</b>